Willi Weber has called it quits as a F1 driver manager. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Schumacher Manager Weber Now Retired From F1: Famous former F1 driver manager Willi Weber has announced he is now retired from Formula One. Once known as 'Mr. 20 Percent' from his lucrative days as Michael and Ralf Schumacher's manager, the German is also no longer involved in the management of Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg's career. He will turn 70 on Sunday, revealing to the DAPD news agency that the famous Schumachers will not be there to help him celebrate in Mallorca. "When Michael is in Stuttgart we meet, but not to discuss Formula One. I hope we continue like that for many years," said Weber. Apart from that, he insists his F1 days are over — even if Sebastian Vettel were to decide he needs a manager. "No, not anymore. Thank you, but for a long time I managed the best drivers in the world and that's enough for me," said the German.

Allison Thanks Lotus Boss For Allowing Innovation: James Allison has thanked his boss, Lotus team principal Eric Boullier, for pushing him to be creative with this year's E20 car. The former Renault team had a troubled 2011 season, with the innovative front-exiting exhausts ultimately scrapped when the field raced ahead with the more obvious Red Bull-style exhaust solution. Boullier may, therefore, have been sensible to request a more conventional approach to 2012. But the new E20 is once again an adventurous design, and in preseason testing it was quicker than any rival at both the Barcelona and Jerez circuits. "I can only thank my boss," technical director Allison told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "He had every reason to demand from us a conservative car, but instead they encouraged us to continue to be innovative. You can get it right that way but there's also a lot of risk." One major hiccup so far was the chassis suspension flaw, which cost Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean the entire middle Barcelona test. Otherwise, the E20 is tipped to be a positive surprise of 2012. "Its manufacturing is worlds better than the (2011) R31," said Allison. "There are fewer seams, gaps, edges." The German magazine report said the secret is under the skin, after Lotus took a meticulous approach to aerodynamics for 2012. "Anything that increases air resistance was eliminated systematically," he explained.

Rosberg Happy To Stay With Schumacher Beyond 2012: Nico Rosberg has announced he would be happy if Michael Schumacher stayed at Mercedes beyond 2012. Seven-time World Champion Schumacher's current contract runs out this season, and there has been speculation he could either stay or be replaced possibly by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg knows Hamilton well from their karting days, but the German indicated he would be happy to stay alongside Schumacher, 43. "It is quite possible that he will stay, and that would be a good thing," he told the DPA news agency. "Technically, we complement each other well, which of course for the development of the car is always helpful," added the 26-year-old. Rosberg, meanwhile, has received a ringing endorsement by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. "He's very talented and is capable of winning races. Let's hope he does this season," said the Briton. Schumacher, however, is not sure. "Victory (in Australia) to me is unlikely," he said on his official website. "I see Red Bull in front. Behind them it will be tight, and you can be either hero or zero very quickly."

Report - Teams To Combine DRS With F-Duct For 'Huge' Benefit: McLaren and Mercedes look to be leading the way with the latest technical ingenuity in Formula One. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that the two teams are set to combine the button-activated DRS system with a sort of additional F-duct at the rear of their 2012 cars. It was believed F-ducts were no longer legal, but new passive systems have emerged on the front wings of some 2012 cars, pioneered by Mercedes. As for the rear wings, those F-ducts are also still legal "under certain circumstances," the German magazine claims. Combining a legal rear F-duct with DRS could result in a "huge top-speed gain," writer Michael Schmidt claims, with the Mercedes W03 reportedly racing ahead by a whopping 18kph at the recent Barcelona test.

New Marussia Car 'Good' So Far - Glock: Despite a difficult winter for the Marussia team, Timo Glock is in a positive mood as he travels to Australia for the 2012 season. The former Virgin squad struggled to get its new car through the FIA's mandatory crash tests, which according to new rules meant the MR01 was grounded throughout the official preseason period. Indeed, the Russian website F1News quotes technical consultant Pat Symonds as saying the "last two months were the most difficult of my 20 years in Formula One." Due to a testing loophole allowing some running on demonstration Pirelli tires, the Cosworth-powered car finally made its debut over two days of 'promotional filming' early this week at Silverstone. "The basis is definitely good; the first test miles were really good," German Glock is quoted by the German-language Speed Week. "The car did exactly what we expected from it. The data we recorded corresponded exactly to what we had calculated previously." The report said Glock will travel to Australia on Friday, with his 30th birthday set to coincide exactly with the start of the new season. Symonds added: "There is still much to be done, but it is a long-term project and so I hope that we move forward step by step."

Ferrari 'Better Than People Think' - De La Rosa: Pedro de la Rosa has admitted he senses a little too much pessimism from the Ferrari camp. Amid talk the famous team's new F2012 car is a flop and needs to be substantially redesigned, the La Gazzetta dello Sport daily wondered recently: "Let's hope it's just pre-tactics." De la Rosa, the veteran Spanish driver for HRT, thinks there is an element of truth to that. "They are better than people think," he told Cadena Ser radio. "On the other hand, I know that there are teams that are stronger, but I wouldn't rule out the podium — I assure you," the 41-year-old insisted. "What happens is you try to remove the pressure that is on you. As for me, I see Ferrari in a better shape than the sort of negative feeling that exists here in Spain. I think they have their problems like everyone else, but their car is faster than it seems." It was Pat Fry, Ferrari's new technical director, who announced recently that the F2012 is not currently a podium contender. "This is not something that goes through my head," Felipe Massa admitted to reporters in Sao Paulo this week. "It is true we tested a type of exhaust and realized it was not the right thing. But last year everyone was 90 percent sure we would fight for the title and then we did not. I won't hide that we are not 100 percent satisfied with what we did in the three test sessions in Spain. But we have a very strong team and I have lots of faith in their capacity to be able to develop the chassis during the season."

Two F1 Journalists Are Caterham Board Directors: Two Formula One journalists are on the board of the Caterham Group, the parent company of the Tony Fernandes-led team. Team boss Fernandes announced the formation of the Group at the Brazilian GP on Nov. 27 last year. UK Companies House records show that Joe Saward and David Tremayne were appointed as directors just nine days later. In the company filing, Briton Saward's occupation is listed as "journalist/consultant." ... "The nature of Saward and Tremayne's roles in Caterham are as yet unknown, but one would assume Joe will announce something on his popular F1 blog during the next few days," Steve Davies, of the skiddmark.com website, said.